Running

The Olympic Games in Paris have begun and we will once again be invited to watch the world’s best athletes take part in many different sports, which require not only total concentration on the goal at hand, but also an excellent physical condition. Amongst us, it is always at the Olympics that the moments of athletics and swimming – whether synchronised or freestyle – stand out.

Most people are under orders to stay at home. Though they are allowed to go out just to exercise, gyms and other facilities where people can work out are closed. That should not discourage people who want to stay or get in shape because, as research has found, walking is often just as beneficial a workout.

John Kipkorir Komen of Kenya has won the 37th Athens Marathon.

The 42-year-old clocked 2 hours 16 minutes 34 seconds, beating Rwanda's Felicien Muhitira, 17 years his junior, by 9 seconds.

Greek runner Costas Gelaouzos finished third in 2:19:02.

Greece's Eleftheria Petroulaki won the women's race in 2:39:00, finishing 35th overall.

Kenyan athlete Daniel Kipkore Kibet wins the 41st Istanbul Marathon men's title by breaking the 42 km Istanbul Marathon track record while Ethiopian athlete Hirut Tibebu wins women's title at the intercontinental Istanbul Marathon on Nov. 3.

Greek-American ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes has no doubt about it: Spartathlon, the 246-kilometer race that traces the footsteps of ancient messenger Pheidippides is uniquely special, and he is happy there is a documentary out that encapsulates the drama, excitement, agony and ecstasy he experienced when he first attempted this run from Athens to Sparta.

The 2019 Athens Marathon, dubbed "the Authentic," takes place on Sunday, November 10, more than 2,500 after the legendary Pheidippides ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks' victory over the Persians.

Now in its eighth year, the Penny Marathon raises awareness and funds for stray and neglected animals through a pet-friendly walk/run. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) will host the last 10 kilometer-leg of the 42k race, in which participants will run, swim, cycle and paddle. The race was established by two Greek Australians looking to bolster animal rights in Greece.

A record number of runners participated in the 40th Istanbul Marathon, the world's only cross-continental race, held on Nov. 11.

A record number of runners are expected to participate in the world's only transcontinental marathon.

Kenya's champion Brimin Kipkorir has withdrawn from Sunday's Nairobi International Marathon and will instead compete at the more lucrative Athens Marathon on November 11.

Kipkorir, who clocked a time of 2:12.39 in winning last year's event, said he has been forced to choose between the two races and believes he has more to prove in Greece.